Proper putter length - am I sizing myself correctly?

[Howard_Jones]

You can modify all putters on play length, and that should be the way to go for you. I happens to be that "standard man" with body measurements that fits "standard", but even if my irons is "standard", my putter is only 32" long, or about 2 inch shorter than whats "expected" for me, but putting is VERY personal, so just forget ALL charts and standards, and find what really works the best for you. (ive made putters as short as 29.00" so just be open minded and go for the best fit for you.)

Edited August 7, 2021 by Howard_Jones

[Stuart_G]

14 hours ago, jbmoonchild said:

Perhaps I misunderstood the home plate analogy then. When I think of home plate I think of a 45 degree angle between upper arm and forearm, as in a baseball home plate.

 

FWIW, you're not alone.  The top picture you posed is what came to my mind when "home plate" was mentioned, not your bottom picture.

[joostin]

Whatever is comfortable for posture, hip bend, elbow bend, and stance.  Tiger went a little longer I believe for a more upright posture for his back.

 

To derail this as a wrx club tech thread even more.... Personally I've gone from more of an arm hang probably gripping down to 30", to now more elbow bend like Oosthuizen or Fowler at 33" and feel a little more secure.  Adjusting head weight for feel of course. 

[Fairway14]

I remember about 20 years ago Ralph Maltby (Maltby-Golfworks founder) did some damage with a putter fitting video in which he claimed that most players use too long of a putter. Specifically, he suggested that the arms hang straight down from the shoulders and from there the hands position of most players fits a 32" or 33" putter (rather than the traditional 35" putter length).Sadly, due to Maltby's influence , lots of amateurs spent money on shorter length putters only to later realize they made a mistake.

Remember, Ralph Maltby is a businessman who shoots in the 90's and his opinions about golf technique are theoretical rather than practical. Yes, there have been some consistently good putters with an address posture of little bend to the elbows, but not many. Most great putters  address the ball with a significant amount of bend to the elbows.

[North Butte]

Millions of golfers have accommodated their putting setup to whatever contortions are necessary to use the 35" putters that are ubiquitous in retail stores. Whether bending the elbows (bad idea, generally speaking), standing way inside the putting line (makes aim and alignment trickier) or whatever it takes most golfers have never even tried a putter that's not 35" long.

[ShortGolfer]

I'm used to being different.  I own three mallet putters.  A Junior Odyssey at the stock 29.5 inches.  A ladies PGX cut down from 33 to 31 inches.  And an Odyssey Indianapolis cut down from 35 to 32 inches.

I have an unusual two handed technique that allows me to accurately putt with all three.  I have good coordinated fine motion control in both hands and decided to take advantage of that.  It helps that I've always been confident in my ability to putt from a young age.

 

I've found that the shoes I wear doesn't affect the line, but I do need to adjust the pace.  Which I can do with a few practice strokes to get that dialed in.

Edited August 8, 2021 by ShortGolfer

[AndrewPlunkettPGA]

I go by personal comfort and getting your eyes where you want them. Go drain some putts!!

[Stuart_G]

11 hours ago, North Butte said:

the 35" putters that are ubiquitous in retail stores.

 

Interesting comment.  The local retail store near me has way more 34" putters than 35".

[North Butte]

10 minutes ago, Stuart_G said:

 

Interesting comment.  The local retail store near me has way more 34" putters than 35".

I'm a lefty and I might have seen a 34" putter in a retail store maybe a dozen times in three decades. Maybe things are different on the right-handed side of the store! I also live in an area with a paucity of golf retail options, especially nowadays.

[Stuart_G]

2 minutes ago, North Butte said:

I'm a lefty and I might have seen a 34" putter in a retail store maybe a dozen times in three decades. Maybe things are different on the right-handed side of the store! I also live in an area with a paucity of golf retail options, especially nowadays.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if it's more of a thing with the lefty inventory.